Massive (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Outbreak: Plagues That Changed History Deborah Stevenson Barnard, Bryn Outbreak: Plagues That Changed History; written and illus. by Bryn Barnard. Crown, 200548p Library ed. ISBN 0-375-92986-X$19.99 Trade ed. ISBN 0-375-82986-5$17.95 R Gr. 6-9 Carmen's mother is constantly dieting, despite her thinness. She wants her daughter to lose weight as well, so Carmen dutifully diets with her mother while sneaking snacks when she's with her stepfather, whom Mum has recently left. When a group of girls Carmen has befriended at her new school suddenly decides to shun her, Carmen finally succumbs to the pressure she's felt ever since the move and secretly begins forcing herself to throw up. Vomiting proves to be the weight-loss method that finally works, and Carmen (along with her mother) grows ever thinner—but for Mum, thinner will never be enough. A truly horrific descent into eating disorders, this novel spares no detail either of Carmen's mother's wasting away or of Carmen's violent binges and purges. The slow build-up from the mother-daughter dieting of the opening sequence to the final fast where Mum nearly starves herself to death is flawlessly paced; Carmen's own eating disorder develops gradually, from obsessing about food, to occasional vomiting, and, finally, to full-blown bulimia. While Carmen's mother is clearly ill, her cruel treatment of her daughter—including repeatedly calling Carmen "piggy" and shooing Carmen away when she complains of illness—sometimes threatens to make her more pathetic monster than fully realized character. Carmen, on the other hand, is superbly rendered as a complex, lonely young woman, alternately attracted to and repulsed by her mother's relationship with food. This startling British import will do a great deal to taint the romance of unwittingly pro-anorexic imagery and propaganda, and its compelling characters and simmering tensions will keep readers engrossed right up until the haunting conclusion. Copyright © 2006 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois